Ups and downs of running, or random runner thoughts

This weekend hubs had signed up for a motorcycle course so if I wanted to get my workouts in I was going to have to get up very early, that happened on Saturday for my 8 mile run.  I got up at 5:15 am and headed out the door.  It was a tough one for some reason that day but I got it done even though it took me 1:27.  Not that you asked but I thought I'd give you a little insight on my thought process that on a run that doesn't go as well as I would have wanted:

1st 4 miles (uphill mostly):

* Geez 5:15 am is way too early for a Saturday, why am I the only one out here?  Hello?  I know there are crazier runners than me?  Did I miss the memo and everyone else is at some super fun awesome race?
 * Why the heck did he sign up for that class?  When does he think he's going to be getting a motorcycle? Is he going through an early midlife crisis?  If so I don't want to be around for his 40s.
* Wow it's still a little chilly out and where did that wind come from?
* Look at the clouds brooding over the mountains they look angry and they are keeping the sun from coming out!
* My right butt cheek hurts! What is that about?  What if I have a running injury and I have to tell the Dr. it's my right butt cheek, what if I have to go to PT what would that consist of, 20 butt cheek squeezes?  Oh man I don't have time for a running injury!
* Another runner yay! Wait who does he think he is oh you're too good to say hello, you think you're faster than me?  Yes, ok you're faster than me but there's no need to not make eye contact...
*I'm tired, dehydrated and running on an empty tank for fear that if I had gone into the kitchen to get a banana I would have woken the sleeping beauties, oh the mom guilt whoa is me.
* I don't even remember waking up and getting dressed my legs definitely aren't awake yet, why is there led in them? Move please move!

2nd 4 miles (downhill)

*Ahhh, my right butt cheek isn't hurting anymore I'm saved! It's a miracle there will be no need to amputate! I must have just needed to warm up.
* Oh look at the wonderful sun over the quaint houses in the valley gently nudging everyone awake, what a beautiful morning!
* Another jogger, "Good morning, what a pretty dog you have! It's a great day!"
* I'm glad hubs is getting to take this class for free he needs some more time away to get a break.  At least he's getting up with the kiddo to feed him while I go for my run.
*I'm so glad I got up early to do this now I'm done and I can enjoy the rest of my day with my wonderful bright eyed smiling faced son! Life is good, I'm so lucky I get to and am able to run!
* I'm getting a negative split for once yay! (of course it's not because I'm going downhill on the way back)

Walk in the door ready to tackle the day! And greeted by:

On Sunday I needed to do a 25 mile bike ride but by the time hubs got home it was in the 90s and our first hot day of the summer.  I called it!  Yes, no excuses I didn't go due to being a wimp!  Instead we took my son to the splash park and I watched him squeal with joy as he attacked the spraying water.  What does this mean for my training? IDK and I'm not going to think about it.  It's a new week and all I can do is re-commit. 

After my run I got to have a breakfast date with my little man and he behaved wonderfully and I got to relax and slowly drink TWO cups of tea!  It's the small victories that make it all worth it!

Happy Training!

Whirlwind...

The last two weeks have been that indeed!  But in a good way, we needed this break so bad and it has done so much for us as a family to get away and spend some family fun time.  Was it hectic, tiring and at times brutal? Yes!  But did the fun out weigh all of that?  YES!!!  My training was more sporadic than I should have allowed for this time but I still got some in and I'm going to be ok with that.

So this happened:

Aiden's first plane ride, first time at the beach, first time at a sea aquarium, first time meeting his great uncle and some cousins, staying up past his bed and nap times, and lots more firsts!

Then this happened:

Aiden's first time to Cloudcroft (the town I grew up in), in a fire truck, at Whitesands, in the same car as a crazy dog for too long of a drive, and lots more firsts.

I did some trail running and man did my feet and ankles take a beating I need to get use to that again.  Hubs and I got to do a bike ride together and we hadn't done that probably since before the little guy was born.  The head winds were brutal and I got so burned out the last 4ish miles but I loved it!  Still been sticking to my Master's swim no matter how humbling and at times mortifying it has been.  So my progress towards my Olympic distance won't be anything that will get me on the podium but it will get me to the finish line and I am good with where I am in my life right now.  I think I've finally come to terms with my current level or lack of training and racing and I wouldn't change it because it would mean missing precious moments with my growing boy.  I'm contemplating signing up for a double half marathon weekend in the mountains if I can convince my runningBFF to do it with me but I've never done that.  One would be a trail half which seems daunting to me and the next day is the road half which they claim is a fast course.  How do I even train for this?  It's not until Oct. so I have time to think about it.

Happy Training!

Sometimes the road takes us where we need to be...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!  I had an amazingly awesome weekend all around! 

On Saturday I got to hang out with the kiddo while we ran errands together. 

 Then we went to a dear friends graduation party, where it was snowing!  Grandma came along with us and had fun!

Then I got to go do a fun yet windy and chilly 5k, Brew Dash, where I did better than I thought I would considering I had spit coming out sideways from my mouth at some points from the wind being so strong! :-) I finished in 26:30 which wasn't bad for me for the conditions and I think I was about 120 out of like 1100 but they don't have AG results up yet.  I also got to hang out with lots of fun friends that I hadn't seen in a while.  I joked with my husband that I need to get out more because I wouldn't stop talking and I hope they didn't get tired of listening to me!

Sunday I got spoiled with my breakfast of choice which I hadn't had since hubs and I got married because he hates grits and cheese.  So he made me cheesy grits with an egg and soy bacon on top.  I got an AWESOME gift which was a gift card to lululemon because hubs knows me too well and he knows that even though I love their clothes I never buy anything there because I can't make my self spend that much on exercise clothes so he figured this way I'd have an excuse.  We also went over to my parents house to have made from scratch sweet potato and squash ravioli, thanks to my dad with help from hubs and son, and made from scratch carrot cake, thanks to my brother.

I got to do a 24 mile ride on a beautiful sunny day with bright blue NM skies on Sunday also.  I was feeling pretty tired that morning due to my 5k evening run in the wind and indulging in a couple of post race beers and really wanted a flat ride but I knew I didn't have time to start from anywhere other than my house so hills it was.  I got to about 8 miles and thought you know what I'm just going to turn around early and call it good.  I mean it's mother's day I can justify taking an easy day right.  I kept looking for a break in traffic and it didn't come so I just kept riding through the light.  Then I thought Ok I'll go a little bit further but then I'll turn around before getting on the road towards Tijeras.  Then I saw a guy struggling with a little hand pump.  I asked him if he needed help he said only if I had a different pump.  I said I have cartridges, he was refusing to use my cartridges saying I'd need them and he would feel really bad.  I felt his tire and determined his pump wasn't even working and wouldn't take no for an answer and said I carried two for this very reason.  I noticed him struggling with English so I asked him if he spoke Spanish and he did and he started talking to me about all kinds of stuff.  He asked how far up I was going and instead of saying I was debating turning around right there I said I had about 4 miles to my actual turn around point but that I was slow because I was just getting back into it after 2 years off.  He said OK follow me for those 4 miles and push yourself.  So I did.  He kept checking to make sure I was keeping up, poor guy I'm sure was going way slower than normal for him.  That was the hardest I had pushed myself in quite a while.  So in the end I did the full amount I had intended to do and met a really nice person along the way.  The road just wasn't going to let me give up and short change myself. 

I feel very lucky to have such a great family and a wonderful community to live in.  This Mother's Day was everything I expected it to be and then some!  I've been feeling very supported with my training endeavors and hubs and I have been really clicking lately when it comes to giving each other breaks when we need it or understanding when something doesn't go as planned.  This morning I accidentally set off my panic button on my car as I was getting ready for 5 am swim practice and hubs didn't get upset just teased me a little later.  Luckily he's the only one it woke up!

We go on vacation to Florida in two days!!!  WoooHOooo!!!!!

Happy Training!

Double Digits!

I was pretty excited about this weeks workouts for a couple of reasons:

Mon. - 4 mile run with sprints
Tues. - Taught boot camp class at lunch and commuted 10 miles home on my bike
Wed. - 4 mile easy run
Thurs. - 1.5 mile run and weight & abs workout
Fri. - Rest Day
Sat. 10 mile run
Sun. - Unplanned rest day

So a couple of things happened that hadn't happened in a REALLY long time.  I got on a bike other than a spin bike for the first time since pre pregnancy!  I caught a ride to work with hubs and rode my commuter bike home which was about 10 miles uphill and it felt way better than I expected.  Maybe because the heat hasn't hit yet so riding in cooler temps didn't feel as deadly but I swear the hills didn't feel so bad.  That bike is kind of heavy but I was happy that I was able to stay upright and my legs still worked when I got off.  Next I will try riding a little bit longer and on my race bike.  Oh how I've missed that bike!  I'm not going to lie I've had this fear that somehow the bike isn't going to have the same fit but I hope I'm just being ridiculous.  Like as if pregnancy morphed my body so much that I won't be in love with my race bike anymore!! Ahhhh the horror!  We'll find out next weekend!

Then I did my first double digit run post pregnancy!  My head thought 10 miles no prob!  I've done this a million times before and it was hubs turn with the stroller and we are running it on the bosque which is flat this will be a breeze.  Well, there was a strong breeze but that's about the only thing I got right!  My body was like whoa wait you haven't done this in over a year and half what are you thinking!?!!  I felt awesome on the first 5 miles out but then on the way back I could tell I should have had more than a sip of water when I passed hubs because I started getting some serious cotton mouth.  At mile 7 I stopped for a minute and man my legs were so tight.  Then I told myself just run until you hear the next mile buzz and then you can walk for a minute.  By mile 8 my legs were actually in spasms and my miles were at 11 min.  But I finished!! And as hurt, tired, and hungry as I was I was so happy to say I'm back in the double digits!  The rain just barely missed us and hubs said pushing the stroller with the wind was hard.  We stopped at Chipotle and devoured a burrito so fast the lil' man didn't have a chance to get cranky! :-) 

Yes our house cleaning requires a water bottle!  No really I just was putting it away.

The lil' man didn't mind being strapped to my back while I was cleaning he liked the view from higher up!

The only bad thing was that I took an extra day off this week so Sunday I decided to do another rest day due to still recovering and to finding my husband awake and preparing to help me clean the house and making me breakfast.  Yes, I have to brag I actually got to sleep in for once because he took "A" when he woke up and started getting stuff done!  Now he got me use to this and I will hope for this treatment every Sunday! :-)  No?  I shouldn't get my hopes up?  Come on I have faith!  Maybe next week I won't be on strike anymore for cooking! 

Life is good can't complain when my weekend ends with this!

We had a great weekend and feel good to be back to some serious training.  Can't wait to keep building on this base!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

It has been unseasonably warm in these parts lately which means we have been taking full advantage of the outdoors.  It does worry me for the summer but I'm going to just think about today and enjoy it while I can hopefully we can keep the fires at bay this summer!

Aiden has been a good sport so far on all his Rolling adventures!  He sleeps through most of them and so far has not tired of the stroller.  When he's at home he takes full advantage of the freedom and rolls all over our living room!  It's pretty funny his dad was blocking his path and he tried to roll over him but couldn't so he got really frustrated and attempted to scooch around him but got tired about half way and stopped to take a break and suck his thumb! :-)

I went to REI this weekend to buy a sunscreen for the stroller and they didn't have what I needed so we put an order in.  Hopefully it blocks the wind a little also because spring in NM can be a doozy!  Right now it is just a nice breeze the lulls the lil' man to sleep.

Saturday we went for what was supposed to be an 8 mile run but I ended up doing about 7.2  It was my turn with the stroller and it kept pulling to the right which meant I had to keep correcting the front wheel and my shoulders and arms got soooo tired.  The whole right side of my body was pretty messed up by the end of the run.  Turns out hubs says it was probably just the front wheel needed to be adjusted after he had taken it off to put in the slime.  I turned around early because as hubs ran past me on his way back he yelled where he turned around and that it was the 4 mile mark, well my Garmin said otherwise but I was too tired already to argue so I just turned around.  He finished before me and I guess realized it and ran a little more.  "A" slept for about 5 miles of the run.  It's also a good leg workout pushing that stroller.

Sunday I woke up and did my last spin class and surprised myself by being able to really push it and get a hard workout in!  I was hurting so bad from the day before but I somehow still felt really good during the work out.  We have given up our gym membership due to rising membership fees and the fact that during the week I have to squeeze my workouts in during my lunch in order to be home in time after work to feed "A".  We then did a family 3 mile hike in the foothills and I was beyond exhausted at this point but was so happy we got to do this!!!!  It was an awesome day for a hike and everyone was so happy.  Lexi was super happy because we even got to let her off leash for a tiny bit.  Don't think the thunder buddy is working for her judging by her behavior in the car but that's a story for another day.  I have no idea how "A" slept through some of that off roading that

dad did with him but he did!

I managed to prep a weeks worth of meals, pull some weeds, do more laundry than I've ever had to do in my entire life ("A" peed and pooped on just about everything due to us having to leave him diaper less to collect some stool samples!!) and still watch a movie and hang out with my brother and SIL to play Taboo!  Needless to say I slept very well both nights!!!

My first half marathon post baby is coming up quick!

Happy Training!

Handicap Run and Pinterest Fail!

This last week I put in about 17 miles of running and I did some weight lifting as well.  I'm happy with slowly building up my miles and I pushed the stroller for the Saturday 4 mile run which means my legs were a little sore which means they are getting stronger!  I just need to try and start fitting in some swimming and cycling now!  Easier said than done.

Our Saturday run was the part of the Handicap run series we do with our running club and I always have fun at these.  Unfortunately we had to run and go we didn't get to stay and chat.  This was a tribute run for an active running club member that recently passed away suddenly.  That makes two in the running community this last month, both seemed to be sudden and way too young.  Makes me sad to hear and really makes you stop and pause for a moment.  Our thoughts go out to their families. 

I had already told the run coordinator that I would be running with the stroller so she was going to start me a little bit before the others.  But then hubs comes in and tells her that I can run a 9:30 pace with the stroller which I knew was going to be a struggle.  So as I wanted to walk up the hills but didn't and cursed the unseasonably warm weather I didn't stop because I knew he was somewhere close behind me and he had also done himself in saying he could do a faster pace than his usual also.  I pushed myself really hard to keep that pace pretty much got it right on the dot but felt like I was going to puke when I finished.  He just said "you're welcome for making you push yourself!" :-)  Yes we love each other lots and lots believe it or not!

Our Sunday run was a quick 3 miler around the neighborhood and it was hubs turn with the stroller so I took the dog.  Well, we both decided from now on whoever has the stroller will be taking the dog.  He may have been pushing 35 pounds up the hills but I was pulling 35 pounds of stubborn dog up those hills!!!  She doesn't like it when we get separated and as I tried to run at my normal pace she kept pulling behind me trying to get back to hubs and baby and kept looking back.  I mean I was leaning forward and encouraging her that they were ok but nothing worked.  So this run was slower than it should have been for me especially without a stroller I think it ended up being a 10:20 pace!  Oh well that's life!  It makes me stronger right!


So for Valentine's Day hubs and I had agreed not to get each other anything.  He didn't listen.  I thought I could at least do a heartfelt homemade card.  So I went on Pinterest, got a cute idea, then this happened:

Doesn't he look just ecstatic!

needless to say I didn't use my version and I put the lil' man in something he was much happier in:

Grandpa took this pic of him!

Happy Monday and Happy Training!

Patience, Persistence, and dedication is key...

I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat asking yourself "Natasha, what is patience, persistence, and dedication key to?"  Not so much?  Ok well I'm gonna tell you anyway!  It's key to my life and everything in it.  Yes, this is a DUH statement and kind of like the V8 commercials where the personal trainer hits the guy on the forehead for not eating his veggies it is kind of common sense.  But what I've come to realize is that even though this statement may be obvious it is during times of panic or stress that I forget it and it's when it would be the most useful.

With a baby I am reminded of this constantly.  For example, when I was so sleep deprived and delirious that I thought there is no way I could take one more day of this yet I dig in and I do just that take one more day of it and then one more and then one more and then viola he's sleeping through the night in his own crib!  I was ridiculed at times because even though I knew good and well that he wasn't going to fall asleep on his own and definitely not in his crib I'd still try every night!!  And when it didn't work I would move to something that we knew worked.  But if I hadn't patiently tried the crib every night before the scream fest ensued there never would have been that one night where I put him down in the crib and I held my breathe as I sat by the radio waiting for the whaling to start.. wait for it.. wait for it... then wait no crying, wake up a couple of hours later and realize he's still asleep, PRICELESS!!

Patience - Is what you need in order to teach or learn something knew and buys you the time it takes for something to click -

Persistence - Is what gives you the tenacity to keep trying something over and over and actually expect a different result (no that is not insanity - always)

Dedication - Is what makes you stick to a plan once you've set the path for yourself and not allow yourself to stray from that path no matter what obstacles get thrown in your way

If it wasn't for PPD I would have never been able to teach a 4 year old to ski when all he wanted to do was throw snowballs therefor earning me the biggest tip ever, is why I learned Spanish as a kid even though we fought my mom on it every step of the way, is why when I want a job I go out and get it, it's why I have accomplished athletic feats that I once thought were impossible, it's why instead of falling prey to the incessant stream of information on what is right for your baby I just go with my gut after doing all my research and patiently wait for him to be ready for the next step!

When I'm training for an endurance event and I'm called crazy and people say I don't know how you do it!  Well once I've set my mind that I'm going to do it (this usually happens once I've plopped down a way too hefty entrance fee) then I use PPD to get me to the finish line!  So where ever life takes you make sure you pack some PPD!

Happy Training!

Happy New Year! Wait, am I late to the party?

Apparently I missed the party I was asleep before midnight but was up around 2 am because the fireworks that everyone was still setting off for the new year woke up my baby and he decided to have a party of his own in the crib and my dog decided the safest place to hide from the fireworks was sitting directly on top of my head!!!  So that being said a few things have come and gone and I've survived! 

This happened: 

A's 1st Christmas

New Year's in which we participated for moral support and fun in the beer run, I ran 4 miles and drank 0 beers but I was able to assess my competition for next year! ;-)

My birthday where I ate a HUGE burrito at Chipotle, had a Love it Size waffle cone (1st time in my life) and my husband thought there was noooo way I'd be able to finish the ice cream after that burrito so he thought he'd just eat was I left, sorry bud not this time breastfeeding works miracles when it comes to your metabolism, and we watched a movie and left lil' man with my bro & SIL and yes I cried as we drove to the theater!!  But of course he was a perfect angel for them.
 
Now that the holidays are past and we are back to the normally scheduled programming I have come up with a "wish list" of races for 2014 and I call it that because I realize with a baby anything could change at a moments notice.  My heavier training won't start until about June which works out nicely because by then A will be a little older and be able to go for runs with me in the jogging stroller instead of the one that holds his car seat and hubs and I will trade off doing our long bike rides while the other plays with A.  For swims we hope to get him in classes by then and we'll trade off who goes to swim class with A and who gets to swim laps for training.  Ready, set, go!!!  And it will all go just as planned right?!??? :-)

Jan - 5k Race
Feb - 5k Race
March - 10 mile race
April - 1/2 Marathon
May - 1/2 Marathon
May - November: any sprint or olympic tris we can manage to fit in to practice for November since it will be hubs 1st triathlon ever!! and my first since baby
November 1/2 iron distance triathlon Lake Havasu
December - sprint triathlon that last time I did it qualified me for nationals but wasn't able to go due to pregnancy so hopefully I can qualify again and actually go!!!  But I don't know I'm in a new age group now and I'm nervous this ladies are very dedicated and fast!! 

What exciting races are you doing this year?!?!

I'm not shy anymore and more truths...

So let me tell you it already took a lot to embarrass me because I grew up with a mom that speaks her mind at any moment and doesn't apologize for it, she taught me to be unique, individual, and proud of who I am.  This is the same person who also told me not to point out what I think are my faults because people only notice them when you point them out!  But after giving birth to a room full of 10 people and having people around telling you how to breast feed and what feels like the whole world seeing your privates you lose ALL inhibitions.  My first clue of this was when someone would asked me how it went and I noticed I might have made a few of them squirm and realized it was TMI either that or birth control for some of my friends. :-)

Truth #1 I gained 40 lbs during my pregnancy not the 25 - 35 that they recommend.  But to be honest I'm not as freaked out about it as I thought I'd be.  I lost 10 lbs of that the day I gave birth and another 10 lbs in the week after that.  Now 6 weeks after I have about 16 lbs left to lose to get to my pre pregnancy weight and I am up for the challenge now that I can exercise!

Truth #2 it's not the weight gain you have to be worried about it's the fact that you have no ab muscles and there's all that extra flab around your belly.  So that's the number one goal during my workouts... Yup you heard it right I'm not concentrating on getting a PR any time soon or on speed work at the track or placing at my next triathlon, just on getting those ab muscles back and tight.  That's what will prevent me from getting into my pre pregnancy clothes even when I lose those last 16 lbs. 

Truth #3 I cheated a little and the week before I got the ok to work out I ran 1.5 miles almost every day just to start testing myself.  Now this week I'm doing some running and weight lifting and plan to start incorporating some spinning and swimming ASAP.

Sat. I went straight from my Dr. apt to the gym did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 45 minutes of lifting and ab work.  Sunday got to busy and I had to skip my 1st workout!!!  Today I got a 2 mile run in before hubs had to head to campus so hopefully when he gets home at 7 tonight I can run to the gym to do some weights.  Yes, having a baby makes some of the simple things in life seem a lot more difficult to do, like sleep but it's true what they say it is so worth it.  Just watching him smile or stretch as he's waking up makes me forget about everything I just mentioned above!!  Yes, I've now become one of those moms.

Things I never thought I'd have to worry about when I worked out:

• Leaking, yes if you are breastfeeding you do have to worry about this when you work out
• Feeling like your insides might fall out at some point during your work out!
• Deciding to wear your maternity bathing suit when getting in the hot tub and realizing now that it's lose on you the jets will blow air into the most awkward places so you just hope the jets don't turn off until after you get out
• Having to wear 2-3 sports bras when you work out so it doesn't hurt
• Getting home in time to feed your baby

My dog is happy we are training for the 5k doggie dash and doesn't feel quite as neglected anymore.  Ok she is pretty jealous that she doesn't get to come jump on our bed in the mornings anymore or sit on the couch between us if the little guy has her spot, but she's doing ok considering.

Happy Training Everyone!!!

Ready or Not, Here I come! Ironman Arizona 2012

It’s race week! Come Sunday it’s do or die time, 140.6 miles of guts, determination, inspiration, sweat, hopefully little to no blood, and finally excitement and accomplishment.  I’ve been prepping and asking myself all the important questions:

“What am I going to wear?”

“How should I do my hair?”

“Which pro athletes are going to be there?”

“Should I practice a dance for the finisher’s line?”

Ok, Ok I am taking it more seriously than that!  Last week hubs asked me how I felt and if I was prepared and compared to last time.  I couldn’t give him an answer!  Then I managed to figure it out, physically I think I’m more prepared than last time mainly cause I have experience now and my body is used to being punished.  But I felt that mentally I wasn’t quite as prepared as I was last time.  Don’t ask me why but I seem to have a lot more doubts, fears, worries and anxiousness this time around.  So I watched the 2012 Ironman World Championship special this weekend and got PUMPED UP!  I am dedicating this entire week not only to tapering but working on my mental toughness.  I’m going to focus on being strong and a lot of positive self talk!  I will listen to some of my favorite music and do some dancing, to the dismay of my dog who growls every time I do, and I will get myself mentally prepared for this weekend.

So I have started printing directions, athlete guides, and prepping lists of what to pack.  My list includes the following right now:

Advil, muscle relaxers (for the car ride home), motion sickness pills, sunscreen, wetsuit, trisuit, goggles, fuel, running shoes, socks, warm up clothes, extra shirt, hat, visor, bodyglide, Vaseline, sunglasses, windbreaker, towel, camera, helmet, bike, bike shoes, 2 spare tubes, CO2 cartridges, water bottles, thingys to get the tire off (I’m so distracted I can’t come up with appropriate words), bib belt, index cards with affirmations, MP3 player, USAT Card, flip flops, long pants jic, First Aid kit, family, bagels and PB & Honey, Attitude!

Here’s a pick of what my dad has started packing:

Here’s a fun thing I did to distract myself, wrote down all the feelings I was feeling and put it into Wordle:

What’s your favorite way to prep for a big race?  Happy Training!

Bike, run, swim, eat sleep, repeat; yup that’s my life!

So the longest weekend of my training for Ironman Arizona is done and I have just 3 more weeks of training left!  I am both relieved and anxious!

Saturday – 100 mile bike ride with my dad.  We started at 10:00 a.m. in hopes of it warming up a bit but it was still in the 30s when we started which made my dad cranky.  Then he got 2 flats in a row which made him even crankier.  Then we hit our 1^st hill that at least warmed us up.  I kept having to stop at porta potties, I’ve never had to pee so much during a ride ever!  Then we got kind of lost and had to make up some extra miles on the bosque trail which can get a little boring after riding back and forth more than once.  Then there was the headwind on the way back which made me cranky, so with all that we were out there for a LOOOONG time.  I think we finally were done about 7 hours later!  We waddled our way to the local pasta buffet where they treated us to free lemonade and soda cause we looked so beaten and down trodden but really we were both happy to have gotten the ride in and survived.  I think we each consumed our own body weight in pasta!

Sunday – I was solo for an 18 mile run which I was dreading but it went surprisingly well.  I kept my hat pulled down and my head low so that I wouldn’t see the path ahead.  Every time I kept thinking ok my legs are going to start hurting any minute now, it didn’t happen and I just kept saying IMF “incessant forward motion” to myself.  My other mantra for the day was “that too shall pass” For example:

“I’m tired” – That too shall pass

“I’m dizzy” – That too shall pass

“I’m nauseous” – That too shall pass

“I have a cramp” – That too shall pass

“I have all these great blog ideas” – That too shall pass

“I’m cranky” – That too shall pass

“I think my left side is hurting” – That too shall pass

Until finally the 18 miles also passed! 3 hours and 15 minutes later with the uphill on the way out to make the way back a little bit easier.

Then I went home to eat a little lunch and wanted to give up but texted my friend that I knew wouldn’t let me and I was convinced to hit the pool to finish the weekend off with a 2100 yd steady swim.

I txted hubs as he was driving back into town to tell him the floors were covered with stinky clothes and the sink was full of dirty dishes and he better be ok with that.

Now the pre-race dreams have started.  A few of the usuals, running late for the race start so I take off naked.  A few new ones are making it into the rotation too, Lance and I (yes we’re on a first name basis) are crawling to the finish of the IM and he gets mad cause I call him Lancey and tries to crawl right over me, and another one being so dehydrated that they are trying to force chicken broth down my throat as I yell “I’m vegetarian give me water!” 

Do you have pre-race dreams?

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